Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,110 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in George

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in George actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,110 in George.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
George $1,110

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,847 in George.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
George $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,584 in George.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
George $2,584

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 8% more expensive than in George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, George 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.85 R 181

0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$41.91 R 700

3.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.95 R 82.6

137.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.13 R 35.57

78.87%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.05 R 17.59

21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.78 R 12.95

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.70 R 45.10

17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.25 R 54.3

51.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.15 R 19.15

22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.01 R 16.92

119.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.50 R 25.09

-5.33%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.79 R 46.63

-9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.68 R 145

-16.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$5.29 R 88.2

45.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$6.70 R 112

89.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.68 R 27.99

65.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.55 R 25.80

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.49 R 24.86

71.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.73 R 28.89

22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.71 R 28.48

13.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.40 R 23.32

35.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.25 R 20.82

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.99 R 16.61

19.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.20 R 53.4

34.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.97 R 83.0

100.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.28 R 21.44

23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.75 R 29.17

52.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.48 R 24.63

-62.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$27.91 R 466

-4.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.64 R 10.67

676.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.48 R 7.95

593.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$8.64 R 144

-37.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.25 R 20.87

15.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$29.9K R 499.3K

-30.91%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$30.0K R 500.5K

-21.73%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,594

$123 R 2,052

-31.04%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$440

$17.56 R 293

33.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$46.26 R 772

-38.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$30.43 R 508

87.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$10.78 R 180

168.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.93 R 98.9

-13.32%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,882

$139 R 2,324

48.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$5,219 R 87.1K

-24.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$72.1 R 1,203

-39.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$38.64 R 645

7.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$112 R 1,864

-33.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$86.8 R 1,448

2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$429 R 7,163

128.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$362 R 6,051

5.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$770 R 12.9K

121.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$935 R 15.6K

14.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$855 R 14.3K

361.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$690 R 11.5K

792.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,339 R 22.4K

-45.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.92

4.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for George: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

George

$362 32.6% 4.8% $18

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

George

$188 17% 26.1% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

George

$155 13.9% 23.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

George

$187 16.8% 36.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

George

$139 12.5% 24.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

George

$42 3.8% 37.2% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

George

$37 3.3% 27% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $429 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays 82% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $42 in George for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $188 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

188,580

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen George 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
George

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $429 in George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,110 in George – George is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though George gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.